RLJ Lodging Trust Announces 2012 Dividend Income Tax Information

BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- RLJ Lodging Trust (the "Company") (NYS: RLJ) today announced the 2012 tax classification of the dividend distributions made to the Company's holders of its common shares of beneficial interest.

The income tax classification as expected to be reported on Form 1099-DIV for the Company's common shares, CUSIP number 74965L101, is as follows:

Total

Total

Distribution

Ordinary

Payment

Distribution

Allocable to

Taxable

Return of

Record Date

Date

Per Share

2012

Dividend

Capital

12/31/2011

01/13/2012

$0.150

$0.020

$0.020

$0.00

03/30/2012

04/13/2012

$0.165

$0.165

$0.165

$0.00

06/29/2012

07/13/2012

$0.165

$0.165

$0.165

$0.00

09/28/2012

10/15/2012

$0.165

$0.165

$0.165

$0.00

12/31/2012

01/15/2013

$0.205

$0.165

$0.165

$0.00

Total

$0.850

$0.680

$0.680

$0.00

Percent

100%

100%

0%

The 2012 fourth quarter distribution of $0.205, which had a record date of December 31, 2012, will be a split-year distribution. For tax purposes, $0.165 will be allocated to the 2012 Form 1099-DIV and the remaining $0.04 will be allocated to the 2013 Form 1099-DIV.

No portion of the 2012 distributions represented capital gains or qualified dividend income.

The information presented above is based on preliminary results and is subject to correction or adjustment when the Company's filings are completed. The tax information provided should not be construed as tax advice. Shareholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisors regarding their specific tax treatment.

About Us

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on acquiring premium-branded, focused service and compact full-service hotels. The Company's portfolio consists of 145 hotels in 21 states and the District of Columbia, with a total of more than 21,600 rooms. Additional information may be found on the Company's website: http://rljlodgingtrust.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts.In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," or "potential" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters.Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including statements related to, among other things, the timing, price or amount of purchases, if any, under the Company's common stock repurchase program,the Company's target leverage ratio, potential acquisitions or dispositions, the completion of the 2012 capital improvement plan, RevPAR growth, EBITDA growth, Hotel EBITDA margins or cash G&A expenses.All forward-looking statements reflect the Company's good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance.Furthermore, the Company disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, of new information, data or methods, future events or other changes.For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statements, see the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition" in the Company's Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and other risks described in documents subsequently filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.